The Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service (Mr. Geoff Allister) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to his question.
Letter from Mr. Geoff Allister, dated 3 July 2006:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what criteria are used by the Road Service when deciding on requests from those living in rural areas to have street lighting installed on main roads where there are several homes in the vicinity.
As this issue falls within my responsibility as Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
The following criteria is used by Roads Service in considering requests for street lighting in rural areas:
where there is development density of at least 10 properties within a contiguous 200 metre road length;
where investigation of night-time injury accident statistics indicates that the provision of road lighting would contribute to a reduction in the number of accidents; and
where a “community” can be identified: A community would be regarded as a location which as well as having a number of residential properties within a defined length of road, also has 2 or more public buildings or amenities and which can be established as a centre where the local community gathers (each public building or amenity established as having a significant level of community gathers (each public building or amenity established as having a significant level of regular use in the evening period will be counted as the equivalent of 2 properties in assessing the justification for road lighting).
The current criteria is aimed at balancing the demand for more rural lighting against the effects of increased urbanisation of the countryside, the environmental impact on plants, insects and wildlife and the financial costs of providing and maintaining additional public lighting installations.